SodaStream Responds To Their Ad Being Banned In The UK

This ad from Sodastream, home carbonation system that lets you make your own soda, was banned in the UK because it 'denigrated the bottled drinks market.'  Ridiculous.  In response, SodaStream launched a protest TV ad showing a black screen and inviting the users to watch the original/banned ad on YouTube.  The banned 'Sodastream Effect' ad has gone on to garner a ton of views and attention in the press.

Sodastream have also decided to run the 'Set The Bubbles free' ad during the Superbowl.  This just shows that YouTube can give a voice to the disenfranchised, whether they be brands or individuals.  Another interesting tidbit is that the agency responsible for the ad is Common, which is headed by Alex Bogusky who left cp+b two years ago to become a consumer advocate and has previously gone after the soda manufacturers through campaigns such as the real bears.

See below for the censored version of the ad that Sodastream ran on TV as well as the banned ad that lives on YouTube.  It's a great piece of creative and generally just a great way to turn lemons into lemonade (to use a tired ass cliche).

The replacement spot that ran on TV



The Banned Ad

TomTom - (Almost) Makes A Viral

TomTom, the maker of various GPS navigation devices, positions itself as the navigation option that 'Gives You More.'  They're running a competition/game that gives you the chance at winning 'More' prizes during the holiday season.  Nothing particularly new there.  What is new is their approach to promoting the TomTom Gives You More game.

To promote our new competition at http://www.tomtom.com/more, we really, really tried to make a great video. But because we spent our entire advertising budget on thousands of great prizes and presents for you, this "viral" might not be as impressive as we would have liked. Sorry.

In short, TomTom has admitted that they're creatively bankrupt and instead made an (almost) viral based off previous viral hits.  This is not unlike the Jennifer Aniston Smart Water 'Viral' from a year or so back, but I love the tongue in cheek nature of this video.  For instance, the end of the video states 'We know this 'viral' video probably isn't as impressive as you are used to, but we spent the entire advertising budget on prizes.'

See if you can spot all the various viral video references below.


hat tip: Buzzilla

Diesel - Pre-Internet Campaign

Diesel is launching a 20th anniversary edition of their YUK shoe and supporting it with their 'Pre Internet Experience.'  Developed by SMFB, the relaunch of the 1993 shoe encourages users to go back to those pre-internet days by challenging you to go offline and not post on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram for three days.  Those who can abstain from social networks for 72 hours have the chance to win a pair of the boots.  Ironically the campaign uses a dedicated website and Facebook to encourage participation in the contest, asking questions like 'When did sharing become annoying, and liking just a pointless online gesture?' and 'Why do you know what your friend's lunch looks like, and how is this making the world a better place?'

The campaign differentiates the YUK shoe by billing it as the pre-internet shoe, 'no tracking, no timing, no wall posting, no bullshit.'  Clearly a dig at sensor enabled shoes from Adidas & Nike while encouraging users to 'Take a little break from your life online.'

Diesel have also created a series of videos that make fun of the current state of footwear affairs by chronicling a fictional GPS artist and Parkour athletes.   See below.




I predict we'll see a lot more activity aimed (ironically) at encouraging users to disconnect.  I expect to see more and more brands looking to enable or co-opt the movement to disconnect for periods of time as a way of coping with information overload and constant connectivity.   Basically brands looking to enable a 'digital sabbath' once a week or the like.

Other Things I Like (But Don't Have The Time To Write Up): ESPN Born Into It & Slap Jamie Oliver

ESPN - Born Into It
In advance of last weekend's Manchester Derby, ESPN released 'Born Into It.'  The commercial, created by W+K, shows the passion and loyalty that two fans feel for their respective Manchester teams through a nice split screen video experience.  I particularly love the companion video which educates Yanks such as myself who may not be familiar with the Brit/Mancurian slang used through the spot.  So good.   Check it out below.

Slap Jamie Oliver
Christmas has come early (at least it has for me!  This interactive video promoting the upcoming launch of Jamie Oliver's new food channel allows you to slap him as well as interact with his kitchen by throwing food at him all via clever usage of YouTube annotations.  Have a play around below.

Two Nice Uses Of UGC From Brands - AT&T and EE

EE is the name the recently launched 4G brand from the owner of Orange and T-Mobile.  They & their agency, Poke, have leveraged the huge UK viral hit Fenton (JESUS CHRIST IN RICHMOND PARK) as part of their comms around the speed of their 4G network.  They've taken the original video and 'Remastered it' in epic form.  Users can switch between the original video and the “Fenton 4GEE Remaster” on the EE YouTube channel.  The premise is that everything on YouTube looks amazing on the EE 4G network.  The video will also be featured in the EE retail stores and feature heavily across all of the 4GEE digital activity.  Whether the remastered version actually demonstrates the speed of their network is up to you to decide, but it's a clever way to leverage the success of the UK phenomenon that was Fenton.


AT&T (another telecom company in the US) is also using UGC to promote their 4G network.  In this case, AT&T (and their agency, BBDO NY) took a piece of user generated content that had been making the rounds on YouTube called 'Hello' and used it as the premise for their latest TV commercial.    In the original video was from a high school football scrimmage and showed a player doing a flip over a defender.  As the video description says:

'Hello" demonstrates an amazing moment being shared across the country on the nation's largest 4G network, AT&T. It starts as an amazing football play seen by a few people. But once posted, it becomes a moment the entire country can enjoy, and something that builds to an introduction our hero will never forget.'
Personally I find this a much more believable use of UGC in a branded context as it naturally reflects the way that people view, share and discover new content while also positioning AT&T in the middle as the facilitator/service provider through their 4G network.

Sony - DSLR Clueless

'All the gear and no idea' is the rallying cry for this campaign from Sony for their NEX range of cameras.  Over the past couple years the sales of pocket cameras basically dropped off a cliff due to the rise of smartphones.  The corresponding decrease in price of DSLR cameras has meant all sort of people buying super high quality cameras, even if they have no need and no idea how to use it.  That's why I love this campaign, which was developed by Havas Sydney.  It's based off simple truth that most people with DSLR cameras have absolutely no idea what the hell they're doing.  They've produced eight different spots, each centered around a different type of DSLR idiot.  It's a great way to promote their range of NEX cameras that have the same sensor size and take the same quality pictures as the DSLR.  A nice touch at the end is the call to action for viewers: 'Remind you of someone? Share it with them.'

Check out the spots below or head over to the Sony DLSR - Gear, No Idea YouTube channel.
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Radi-Aid - Africa For Norway

The holiday season is upon us...besides being bombarded with consumer messages and saccharine holiday songs, it's also one of the most active times of year for charity organizations soliciting aid and donations.  A little over a week ago the Norwegian Students and Academics International Assistance Fund (SAIH) released an amazing campaign, entitled Radi-Aid.  The faux charity video is a spoof on the typical Band-Aid/We Are The World type call for action videos that are often full of patronizing language and imagery.  The premise is simple...if viewers knew nothing of Norway and saw the Radi-Aid video, what would they think of Norway?  Now apply that logic towards Africa and the aid campaigns that exploit the perception and imagery of a continent full of nothing but poverty, AIDS and crime.

SAIH is trying to reframe the typical fundraising campaign and striving to 'promote a more nuanced image on countries in the global south than is usually portrayed in the media and by some charitable organisations and fundraising initiatives. While there are negative issues that need to be reported and a lot of organisations are doing very important work, we are frustrated at the constant repetition of the same negative images. Since the narrative tends to be the same as it was when development assistance first started some 50 years ago, it might give the impression that none of these efforts have produced any results and thus lead to apathy.'  Check out the video below.
The Guardian has a great article on the campaign and you can read more on the Radi-Aid: Africa For Norway site.

Juicy Couture - California Dreaming

We talk often talk about the various content triggers that get people to watch, view, share, participate, etc.  This Juicy Couture video, directed by Terry Richardson and featuring supermodel Candace Swanepoel hits a number of content triggers.  That alone would be enough to guarantee substantial views.  What makes this particularly interesting is how they've used annotations throughout to make every single frame of the video shoppable.  Click the annotations at any point and users are taken directly off to the purchase page for that particular item.  Really simple and clean, no crazy microsite or custom experience, just good content and an easy way to buy.

hat tip: Digital Examples

Two Nice Stunt Videos - Sony Xperia & Red Stripe

I keep thinking that stunt campaigns are somehow going to die off, but the public appetite for them shows no sign of slowing down.  What's more impressive is that agencies keep coming up with new and innovative ways to communicate a clear product message through stunt videos.  The latest hot stunt was developed by CP+B Stockholm to promote the new waterproof Sony Xperia phone.  During screenings of the new James Bond film, Skyfall, several  of the waterproof phones were hidden inside free soda cups given to random viewers.  It's a nice way to demonstrate the main USP of the phone in a way that fits nicely into the overall theme and feel of the Bond film.  Check it out below...I do question how the hell the people managed to get a drink without noticing that there was a phone embedded in their massive Coke.


Another delightful stunt comes from Kessels Kramer for beer brand, Red Stripe.  For one day only, a corner store became a giant musical instrument, playing 'A Message To You, Rudy.'  Products on the shelves and items left scattered around the store part of an ad-hoc orchestra, triggered when a customer chose a Red Stripe from the shelves.  Just a really nice way to reward customers who choose your product with a delightful and unexpected experience.  Check out the video below and it's also worth checking out the behind the scenes video as the 'making of...' is fascinating.

Movember - David's Big Problem

A bunch of us around the office raised a nice chunk of change for Movember (BTW - it's not too late to donate to the Google UK team or me directly).  I was shocked to look at the Movember.com leaderboards and see that Canada is crushing the rest of the world in terms of money raised. I suppose it should be no surprise that the best creative (IMHO) supporting November comes from the Canadian arm of creative agency, TAXI.  Check it out below...so good.
via Leon Bayliss